Bailboad-cab brake



UNITED STATES GIDEON DORSCH, OF SGHENECTADY, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-CAR BRAKE.

Speccation of Letters Patent No. 19,917, dated April 13, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GIDEON DoRsoH, of Schenectady, in the county ofSchenectady and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedOar-Brake; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,-and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexeddrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is alongitudinal vertical section of my improvement. Fig. 2, is aI plan ortop view of the car bed or platform with an endless chain attached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twoigures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvent-ion, I will proceed to describe it.

This invention consists in combining the ends of the brake levers withan endless chain by which the levers are operated.

A, represents the car bed or platform; and B, B, represent t-he twotrucks attached to the bed or platform in the usual manner.

C, represents the shoe bars, with shoes D, attached at each end. Theshoe bars are attached to the trucks in the usual manner. To the centerof each shoe bar C, a lever E, is attached. These levers are pivoted insockets F, the shanks of which pass through the shoe bars and have nut-s(a), on their outer ends.

The two levers E, E, of each truck are connected by a rod G. rIhe upperends of the levers E, E, are attached to rods H, H1, which constituteportions of an endless chain (o). The chain (b) passes around pulleys(o), placed on the lower ends of vertical rods I, attached to the endsof the platform, said rods having each a hand wheel ((Z), on its upperend.

One lever E, of each truck is attached to the rod H, and the other leverto the rod H1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

From the above description of parts it will be seen that by turningeither of the rods I, in the proper direction, the shoes D, will bepressed against the wheels.

The advantage of the invention is, that the shoes are always pressedagainst the wheels with a limited movement orturni'ng of the rods I, andthis movement is always the same, for as the shoes wear the levers E,are brought nearer to avertical position, so that the faces of the shoesare always at an equal distance from the treads of the wheels. There arealso no parts liable to derange ment by wear as in the usual brakes. Theinvention is simple, may be applied with facility, and at a moderatecost.

I do not claim to be the inventor of the brake levers E, having theirfulcra connected; for I am aware that an analogous arrangement is seenin the patent of F. A. Stevens, 1851. which relates to the mode ofhanging the y shoes. But in the device of said Stevens, a single chainis used, the ends of which wind upon the brake rod; and the result isthat when the shoes are released from the wheels, there is always moreor less slackage of the chain. Now, any brake is dangerously defectivein which a slack of chain must be wound up before the shoes begin to actupon the wheels. Such is the practical result of Stevenss device. Beforethe shoes can operate upon the wheels, the slack of the chain must bewound up. The most precious portion of the time wanted for the action ofthe brake, viz., at the instant of alarm, the speed being then greatest,is thus lost.. But in my improvement, this is not the case; for `by theuse of the endless chain, no slack thereof is occasioned. The chain isalways taut, and the shoes begin to press upon the wheels at the instantthat power is applied to the rod I. In itself considered, I do not claimthe endless chain (b). But

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Ipatent, is:

Combining the ends of the levers E, E, with an endless chain (b), as andfor the purposes set forth, when said levers are hung and operated asdescribed.

Witnesses ALBERT I-IoUGH,

RosswELL PERRY.

Nor do I claim anythingv

